The Revenge of the Phantom
by Ramona Bandicoot
Summary: After escaping from The Phantom of the Opera once, Sly safely returned his rival to the surface. Now, The Phantom has sworn revenge against Sly for taking away his beloved. The Phantom has returned and is determined to make the woman he loves his forever.
1. Chapter 1: Suspicions Arise

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch. The idea of Phantom of the Opera belongs to its rightful owner(s).

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Well, like I normally do, I found another story idea in the early hours of the morning and knew it could blend well with my other story, 'Thieving Phantoms of the Opera'. To begin, it has characters from last story in this but the story line is completely different, had nothing to do with the real opera (besides a few characters) and the ideas are completely my own. I might put a few song lines from the opera but I'm not really sure yet. So please read and review and let me know what you think. And, I know this is really short but I wanted to leave it in a mystery and a somewhat of a cliff hanger. Whatever you want to call it. _

_That and I really didn't have anything big planned out for chapter 1. **And for the record, I did delete the first version of this, made it longer and now reposted it so if you read it before I deleted it please re-read because things are a little different!**_

The Revenge of the Phantom

Chapter 1: Suspicions Arise

I stretched and yawned as I took a break from running across the early evening rooftops of Paris. I didn't have any jobs to pull and I figured a decently quiet early evening run around the city would keep amped and ready for any upcoming missions. That and the fact Bentley had asked me to hunt down Ramona and steal back the folder she had that was originally ours. I now knew that she had pulled another one of her tricks over me and I let my jealousy get in the way. But, not really wanting to dwell on that though anymore, I took off across the rooftops in search of the black-headed raccoon. Since she was normally outdoors doing who know what at this time of day, I figured I'd start with the park and local outdoor food vendors. After finding a building sitting across from the local marketing vendors, I crouched down and pulled out my binoccucom. I scanned the local area slowly in search of Ramona. I saw many various types of stalls and different people trying to sell their items to the local patrons of the city.

I scanned over women selling fruits, men selling vegetables, children selling various candies and pastries, and a few of the older people selling handmade items. I watched the customers hand the vendors their money and taking their newly purchased items. I could see deer, large amounts of various rodents, a few bulls, a couple of amphibians and reptiles, a few mammals, but no raccoons. I put away the binoccucom and stood, still determined to find the raccoon. I jumped from my position on the roof and into a back alleyway. I darted down it quickly and made my way towards the park. If she wasn't there I'd check her apartment then just go home if I couldn't find her. The sun was starting to set and the sky was painted a soft sherbet orange with wisps of yellow and red. It was the middle of summer and fairly warm outside. My feet pounded against the cement of the streets of Paris as silence started to overtake the city before the nightlife came forth. I took various alleys until I made it to the almost empty park. There were families leaving and a few couples sitting on blankets, enjoying the sunset. Noises of crickets started to get louder as I kept searching through the seemingly empty park.

Since I couldn't really see anything from the ground level, I decided that climbing into a tree would give me the capability to see a little farther. After I was secured in the braches, I pulled out my binoccucom once again and searched for Ramona. I eventually spotted her a few feet away, reading on a bench as I put away my binoccucom. I darted to the bench the temperamental raccoon was resting on and snuck up behind her. I playfully grabbed her shoulders and she jumped with a shriek. She turned around quickly and her eyebrows knitted together when she saw me.

"Listen," I started, "I already know what you're going to say," I paused, "but I need that folder back." I was still behind her and her expression went from confused to completely lost.

"I'm sorry?" she asked simply.

"The folder I left at your apartment the other day, I need it back." She closed her book and shook her head.

"I think you have the wrong person. I have no idea what you're talking about or who you are for that matter." Out of all the tricks she had pulled, this had to be the strangest.

"You're Ramona Bandicoot, aren't you?" I was actually starting to get worried at this point. She had never pulled anything like this before.

"Well yeah, but I don't know you are or how you know me." She was getting on the defensive.

"Ramona, it's me, Sly, rival thief, you're kidding me, right?"

"No, I'm not. I don't know who you are and I'm not a thief. " She stood and started backing up.

"Ramona!" I shouted as she started to run off towards the back entrance to the park. I realized that this wasn't some sort of stunt she was trying to pull. Something was definitely wrong and I could only hope her temporary memory loss wasn't permanent. I decided to get home quickly and talk to Bentley to see what was going on with Ramona.

My mind raced as my feet swiftly carried me through the streets of the city. After talking with Ramona, who seemed to have come down a sudden case of amnesia, I was both curious and worried. I had talked to her not even twenty four hours ago and she was fine. And now, she was confused and had no idea who I was. I didn't know how much she remembered or what had even happened that caused her to lose her memory. She still knew her name so it couldn't be too bad but she also had said she wasn't a thief. This is was mad me worry. She had been thieving since she was a teenager and now what denied it to her grave. Something fishy was going wrong but I had no idea what it could have been. Another thing that had me concerned about her denying she was a thief was that if she was arrested by the police, since she had quite a record behind her, and if she denied it like she did to me, she'd put up a fight. Since she had the streak of Latin temper in her, there would be no way that could end well.

After running halfway across the town, I finally reached the hideout and was huffing out my breaths. As usual, Bentley was typing away on her laptop, planning our next heist and Murray was reading some sort of vehicle magazine looking for updates for our team van. I flopped on the couch and thought quietly. I saw Bentley glance over to me, waiting for me to hand over the file, but I sat in thought while trying to piece together what had just happened.

"Did you get the file?" he asked eventually after shutting his laptop.

"No." I muttered.

"Did you find Ramona?" he sat across from me and his eyebrows knitted together.

"Yeah." I stared out the window and still thought.

"Then why didn't you get the folder?" he put his arms up in question and I chewed on a nail in thought.

"She didn't know what I was talking about," I glanced over to the turtle, "or who I was for that matter."

"Are you sure she wasn't trying pull a fast one on you, again?" I nodded and he gave a quick smirk.

"Positive. Something's not right, but I don't know what it is." He grabbed his laptop off the table and opened it again.

"Hmmm," he hummed to himself as the typed away on his computer, "I don't see any recent hospital records with her name or aliases in it, so I don't think it was any sort or head trauma to make her loose her memory," he kept typing away, "I don't know what to tell you. I know you talked to her yesterday so it certainly was recent issue, whatever happened that is. What did she do when you talked to her?"

"She said she didn't know me, she wasn't a thief and then ran away." His eyes widened.

"Oh, this is bad. I'm going to see what I can find out, you go out and talk to her and see what you can dig up." he ordered but I doubted that would work considering she ran from me earlier. I decided to go anyway just to see what would happen. I had a bad feeling about this entire situation and knew this could get serious if she didn't start remembering things.


	2. Chapter 2: Learning of a Wedding to Be

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch. The idea of Phantom of the Opera belongs to its rightful owner(s).

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_I'm sorry for the delay in the update since chapter 1, but I had a little bit of bad news since I updated. I've always been an animal lover and since I last updated, my stepdad's little Jack Russell was mauled to death by another dog and I haven't been in the mood to write. But, I realized I had to get over it so…I updated! So, here's chapter two and please read and review and let me know what you think. (: And again, sorry it's a little short, but I'm still no completely in the writing mood but I did want to update. And I'm trying to make this mystery last as long as I can before letting the cat out of the bag but if you think you've figured it out, go ahead and guess! It might give me another twist to throw in with my plot!_

Chapter 2: Learning of a Wedding to Be

It was nearing nightfall as I ran through the streets of the city, looking for the horribly confused raccoon. I darted throughout the alleys towards her apartment but could only wonder if she remembered where she lived. I didn't know how much she had forgotten but the simple fact she had forgotten anything wasn't good. I didn't see that many people in the streets or any sign of Ramona. I weaved in and out of streets while I kept on the lookout for my target. After I had searched the streets for a while I'd decided to check her apartment for her and if I still couldn't find her, I'd go home and just search for her in the morning. I looked up at the rooftops and the surrounding area as I ran, all the while making sure I wasn't caught myself. When I took a short break to catch my breath is when I spotted Ramona casually strolling down the street. I knew that if I approached her she'd make some sort of commotion, I figured that sneaking up behind her and getting her to a quiet place would be the best thing to do.

I waited until she had walked a little ways past me before sneaking up behind her. I checked to make sure no one was around, someone who could accuse me of kidnapping, before clamping a paw over her mouth and pulled her into an alley. Ramona, on the other hand, was taken back by the surprise jumping and trashing around as I pulled her into the alley I had just snuck out of from. I led her about halfway in before pushing her against the side of the building, my paw still clamped securely around her snout to keep her from making any alerting noises. I placed a finger against my lips to signal to her to keep quiet. She nodded and I eventually released her mouth. She growled attempting to swipe the side of my face with her claws. I blocked her attack and tried to get her to listen to me without running away, alerting other people, or trying to kill me.

"Will you listen to me?" I asked harshly after keeping my grip on her wrist.

"No," she spat back, "I don't tend to talk to people who kidnap me!" I sighed and saw this was going to take a while for anything decent to be talked about.

"I didn't kidnap you, Ramona." she growled again.

"How do you know who I am?" her eyes narrowed, "Why do I always get stuck with the stalkers?"

"We're rival thieves, Ramona. Granted we work together on a lot of things but we're still rivals! I've know you since we were kids at the orphanage, remember?" she shook her head.

"What are you talking about? I was never in an orphanage, I lived with my dad until I was old enough to move out." I started at her and tried to shake her statement out of my mind.

"Ramona, your dad's dead, he's been dead since you were seven." She snapped her arm away and shook her head again, "Alright," I said quickly, "never mind that. Just tell me, what happened to you?"

"Nothing's happened to me. You're the strange one, not me."

Everything she was saying was making no sense to me and I could only hope Bentley could find something one what happened to her. It was as if someone had deleted her entire memory and only told her what they wanted her to know or believe. She obviously knew nothing about how her childhood played out and still didn't know who I was. Something fishy was going on and I was determined to figure out what was going on with Ramona and figure out who or what was causing it.

"What's the matter with you? If there is nothing different, what do you do for a living? Making a living to earn money and live in your apartment?" I hoped this would maybe jog her memory.

"Well, I don't live in an apartment or have a job. I live with my fiancé while he works and I take care of the house." And at that comment, I felt like one of the surprised cartoon characters that come on Saturday mornings.

"Your fiancé," I eventually said, "How do you possibly get engaged in one day? You're not dating anyone."

"Are you crazy? I've been engaged for over a year and I'm getting married this weekend. You should know that, you stalker." She muttered out her last sentence and gave out another growl. I glanced down to her paw and sure enough, there was a diamond engagement ring resting on her ring finger. Now I was positive something was going on and it wasn't another one of Ramona's pranks.

"No," I said slowly while shaking my head, "this is all new." Then I got to thinking that her 'fiancé' could be the one who was causing all of this, "Who are you engaged to?" she snorted.

"I'm not telling you. The less you know the better." She pushed me away before taking off down to the other end of the alley. My head was spinning and trying to figure out what was going on. Not wanting to get her riled up even more than she already was, I decided I'd go home and tell Bentley what I had found out. I thought as I started running home and if push came to shove, I'd go to the one person who knew her the best; her twin. I raced down the nighttime streets, ready to tell Bentley the little bit of new information I had found out. I huffed out my breath after I had finally burst through the doors of the hideout.

"Did you figure anything out?" Bentley asked after I had flopped down on the couch.

"Oh yeah!" I said sarcastically as I groaned.

"What is it?" he was still typing away on his computer.

"She's getting married!" his eyes bugged out behind his glasses and I nodded with a sigh. I'd figure this out; someway or another.


	3. Chapter 3: The Phantom Has Returned

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch. The idea of Phantom of the Opera belongs to its rightful owner(s).

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Well, here's chapter 3! I know the first two chapters were a little boring, maybe, depends on your opinion, but things start to pick up in the end and will start to get more complex in the next chapter. This chapter is a little longer than the other two and I'm going to try to make the others the same. So please read and review and give me your opinions. I like knowing any ways I could improve this story, or any other, or if I'm doing great so far. So, here's chapter 3!_

Chapter 3: The Phantom Has Returned

"Are you sure spying on her is really the best idea?" Bentley asked as I placed my updated binoccucom in my leg pouch and got ready to get to the bottom of this mystery.

"What else do you suggest? Talking to her won't work and since we don't know who or what caused her memory loss, this is the best way to figure this out." I had thought all last night about how we could keep an eye on her and I figured this would be the best way to do so until Bentley could fix his grapple-cam.

"Just don't let her know you're following her. If she finds you then you'll have no chance on figuring this out. You said that she told you that she stays at her fiancé's while he works, right?" I nodded, "So, I can only assume that if she finds you then she won't be coming back out until after her wedding."

"That wedding's not going to happen," I said as I grabbed my cane from the living room, "All we have to do is get her out of her trance and everything will be back to normal." Bentley nodded and I left the building, ready to go into spy mode.

I stuck to the rooftops to avoid being spotted by Ramona before I could find her. I decided that going out in the morning would be a decent time to look for her. Even if she didn't have her memory, there was always one thing she enjoyed; a cup of coffee in the morning. I headed for the local coffee house that she usually went to and decided that I'd stay on the roof of the opposite building and keep an eye on her there. After I was on the roof, I crouched down and pulled out my binoccucom. I scanned the outside table looking for Ramona and eventually found her sitting with another man at a table. I zoomed in on the man and felt my stomach turn when I though I recognized him. I could only see the left side of his face and I knew that the right side of his face would confirm my suspicions; which I hoped they were wrong. I watched how Ramona behaved around the man and I could only assume that the man was her estranged 'fiancé'. She would laugh when he talked, I couldn't hear what was being said but frankly I didn't want to know. I watched as the man reached over and grabbed her paw with his own and kept talking which only made her giggle harder. They sat and they drank their coffee while Ramona kept laughing like a young school girl and the man that caused it chuckled along with her.

I watched until they finally got ready to leave. Being a gentleman, Ramona's partner stood before she did and helped her out of the chair. When he helped her up, the other side of his face was exposed and my suspicions became horribly true. The right side of his face was covered with an unfortunately familiar white mask. I groaned silently when realization hit me like a ton of bricks. The Phantom was somehow behind Ramona's memory loss and was up to something horrible. He had kidnapped and attempted to marry Ramona a few months ago but I stopped his plans before they could be married. I followed them from the rooftops as I kept thinking about what I had just seen. I watched and followed as they walked arm and arm down the streets and talking softly to themselves. However, with the phantom you never knew if he was talking or singing. I went over scenario after scenario in my mind to think of reasons why this had all happened. After thinking, I came up with only one decent reason. Since the phantom was madly in love with Ramona and wanted to marry her but was stopped, I thought that maybe he had altered her memory so she would think they were engaged and he could marry her without any issues. But I wasn't going to let that happen.

The three of us were the only ones in the surrounding area and I still stuck to the rooftops to avoid being spotted and so I could keep an eye on the entranced female only a few feet from me. She and the phantom were practically glued to each other and his trance over her was obviously fogging her emotions. Only a few months ago she couldn't stand even the thought of the phantom, and now she was glued to his side like a life source. They took a break and sat side by side on a nearby bench. I pulled out my binoccucom again and zoomed in on Ramona's face. Her smile was goofy and there was something going on with her eyes. Her pupils were larger than normal and her eye colors were fogged. Maybe after the spell over Ramona was broken everything on her would return to normal. I soon realized this was not the best way to spy on her since I could see but not hear. I'd talk to Bentley later and see if he could do something to his grapple-cam that would give me this advantage. They were talking to each other, more like singing to each other, and I wanted to hear what they were saying.

I got down from the roof I was currently on and quietly snuck down to the streets below. I stuck to the shadows and could finally hear a little bit of what they were saying but I'd have to get closer. I kept close to the nearest building wall and shimmied down it until I was only a few feet from the two raccoons. I still had to strain to listen but I figured it could manage. Ramona was the one speaking and her voice was soft and it took everything I had to hear what she was saying.

"…I swear I'm getting stalked and it's scaring me. I mean, he snuck around and pulled me into an alley! He tried to fill my head with all types of lies and I just don't get it!"

"Listen, as long as you ignore what he tells you, you'll be safe." I realized they were talking about me talking with Ramona last night in the alley. He was still feeding her lies and she believed it! He kept talking on instead he decided, like last time I dealt with him, did it in song, "No more talk of darkness, forget these wide-eyed fears. I'm here, nothing can harm you…" I can't believe his plan was actually starting to work and I had to stop this and fast, "I'm here with you, beside you, to guard you and to guide you." Then Ramona herself started singing herself.

"Say you love me every waking moment, say you need me with you now and always, promise me that all you say is true. That's all I ask of you."

"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime. Let me lead you from your solitude. Say you need me here beside you, anywhere you go let me go too, that's all I ask of you." Then their voices combined into one as they started to stand.

"Share each day with me, each night, each morning," they paused briefly to embrace, "Love me, that's all I ask of you. Anywhere you go let me go too, love me, that's all I ask of you." My heart wrenched as they suddenly kissed and I decided to go home and see if Bentley had gotten any progress on improving his grapple-cam.

I bolted down the streets, thinking and tried to get the image of their kiss from my mind. I shook my head continuously as I ran and wanted nothing more than to just go home and get this out of my mind. I ran faster at the thought again and it only took a few minutes until I burst through the front doors of my hideout. I huffed out my breaths and met Bentley in the living room. I watched as the turtle took a screwdriver to one of his grapple-cams and started tinkering.

"You got a letter while you were out." he muttered as he kept working on the camera. He took a small break and handed me an envelope. My name was handwritten on the front and the last time I received a note like this, I was dealing with the phantom. I ripped the envelope, took out the note, and read it.

_Dear Mr. Cooper-_

_It seems as if we have met again and like last time, we meet due to one woman. Like I warned last time, Ms. Bandicoot belongs to me! But, do not fear for her life. I, the angel of music, have her under my wing and will care for her unconditionally with love and our music. But I do warn you, make NO attempt to see her again. For this being your first warning, I will give you one last chance to leave us alone. I know about the incident in the alley and your attempts to change her mind. I will keep my eyes open for any sign or you and if these demands are not met…a disaster beyond your imagine will occur. Ramona Bandicoot is mine and after we are wed, we will be together forever!_

_-O.G_

_Note: I know the All I Ask of You song is from the original play but I'm going to try and put the other songs that I didn't put in my first one, since I didn't do them all, and this just happened to be one of them. And I know this song wasn't sung with the Phantom in the play but it's just how it played out in my story. So I hope you enjoyed and let me know if you did or not! Thanks (:_


	4. Chapter 4: A Second Mask

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch. The idea of Phantom of the Opera belongs to its rightful owner(s).

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_This chapter made me want to pull my hair out! I wrote it at least 5 different times and it didn't help that I've got writers block -_- I know how I want this to go but it's the actual getting it typed and flowing is what I'm stuck on. And I'm thinking it's starting to effect how my chapters/stories come out due to the fact I've had an extreme drop in views of my latest stories. I'm hoping this chapter will break that barrier and I can get things flowing again. I also don't know if the people that are reading this story are actually like it so please read and review and let me know what you think so I can make it better and let me know if you think 1this story is good so far. Thanks! _

Chapter 4: A Second Mask

I stared at Bentley's computer screen, waiting for the grapple-cam image to focus. After I had retuned to out hideout and told Bentley about what I had found, he had managed to outfit his grapple-cam with a rather small camera that we could use to spy on Ramona, the phantom, or both. We'd decided to plant one of the grapple-cams in the phantom's sewer lair to see if we could pick up anymore additional information. He also figured that using the grapple-cam would be easier and more efficient than a regular camera for numerous reasons. First of all, it was smaller and less noticeable and second, Bentley could move the camera from his computer so I didn't have to go all the way down to his lair to install it. Shortly after my spying session on Ramona and the Phantom, I snuck down to the sewers and placed a camera while the two of them were still on the ground level and I wouldn't get caught. After being almost hung the last time I was in the Phantom's lair, it certainly something I wanted to avoid.

I shifted in my seat and yawned while Bentley still attempted to get the screen to focus. While he worked on that, I read the note from the Phantom over and over again, going over what could happen if we were caught snooping and trying to get Ramona back. The note said specifically '_But I do warn you, make NO attempt to see her again… I will keep my eyes open for any sign or you and if these demands are not met…a disaster beyond your imagine will occur.' _Ramona was his prize so he wouldn't harm her, would he? Or would he do something to her to get back at us for trying to steal her back? Then again, he could do something completely different that could affect the entire city, as I thought about how only a few months ago he burned down the opera house. Even though they rebuilt it, the memory of the charred remains of the building still remained in everyone's mind. Whether we were caught or not, Ramona's life was on the line and we were on a time crunch. She never said what day the wedding was, but the weekend was only two days away and if we got to her after they were married it'd be too late to do anything. If we got to them before the wedding, we'd have a chance to break his trance over Ramona and hopefully put an end to his reign over the city.

I put the note in my pocket after Bentley finally had the camera up and running on his computer. The grapple-cam was resting on one of the staircases that led to the main chamber of his home. Bentley clicked a few keys on is laptop and the camera shot out a claw that attached to a wall at least ten feet away before sending the camera to where the claw had attached to the wall. He kept this up until the grapple-cam had made it halfway down the staircase Ramona and I had climbed the last time we were down there. He kept the camera near the roof so that incase the Phantom or anyone came by the small camera wouldn't be seen. He kept the camera moving in an attempt to find the main chamber. We had no idea if anyone was down there but even if they were there or not then we were going to keep it running down there, hidden in the ceiling, to keep an eye on the Phantom. The camera was equipped with sound so we could hear what was being said if anyone was there. My ears perked and Bentley and I gave each other a glance when we could hear talking a few feet from the camera. I rested my elbows on my knees and kept my eyes glued to the screen. He eventually maneuvered the camera into the main chamber and the tail of a raccoon could be seen going into the sleeping chambers on the far wall.

Bentley shot the camera across the room and silently pulled it into the sleeping chambers. We soon learned the tail belonged to the Phantom and he was carrying something in his arms. Just like the last time we had met, the man always wore Victoria era clothing, granted it was nothing more than a poofy white shirt and a pair of dress pants, but it still wasn't the latest fashion statement of Paris. Bentley zoomed in to see what he was carrying but we still couldn't figure it out. We didn't want to move the camera to chance us getting spotted. Seeing in his lair with a camera was a challenge due to the lighting. Everything was candle lit and not very bright.

"What's he carrying?" I muttered. Bentley shrugged and zoomed in again. The Phantom turned and placed a sleeping Ramona in a bed that could only hold someone as small as her. Bentley turned up the volume on the camera so we could hear what he was saying.

"You're making this difficult for me, my dear," he knelt down beside her as he spoke softly to the unconscious raccoon while brushing her bangs away, "your will power is strong and keeping you under my thumb is getting harder and harder. But don't fret my love, once we say our vows you'll believe whatever I want you to." he gently and slowly stroked his finger down from her ear to her jaw line. I felt my paws clench into fists as I watched him stroke her face with is fingers while she slept, "Such a pity that raccoon won't leave you be until this weekend, your life could depend on it," my ears perked at his comment, "You have the face of an angel and it would be a great shame if something were to happen to it," he turned to the nightstand next to the oddly shaped bed and grabbed something off of it, "But then again," he paused as we watched him place a white mask similar to his over the left side of her face, "having a bride with a face like mine wouldn't be so bad, makes a man with a face like this not feel as peculiar looking." The mask was formed to fit on her face perfectly and I knew that whether we were caught or not he would do something to make her wear it. That's when I remembered what Bentley had told me about his childhood and how his father had disfigured his face with either fire or acid. He removed the mask from her face and replaced it before kissing her softly on the lips and pulling a satin rope that caused a curtain to drape over the bed. He blew out the candles before exiting the room.

Bentley moved the camera to follow the Phantom back into the main chamber. The camera followed his every move and we watched as he threw open another curtain that revealed two mannequins. One had a wedding dress and veil adorned on it and the other held his outfit for his wedding. He straightened both outfits for a while as he muttered to himself quietly. I felt the jealousy rise within me as I thought of Ramona being forced to stay down there with that maniac. We would get her free before they were scheduled to be married and I was determined to stop him, even if that meant having to go to the police.

"Ramona, my dear," he said to himself, "Saturday afternoon you will release me from my solitude forever and will be known for all eternity as the Mistress of the Opera and wife to the Phantom." He strolled from the dress and suit to another room of the chamber and I turned away from the computer screen. Saturday afternoon is when he would spring his trap and we would spring out own trap before he ever got the chance to wear that suit.

_Like I said before, I wanted to pull my hair out with this chapter! But I finally got it to where I wanted it and left it to mystery. And again like I said before, I'm not sure if anyone is actually enjoying this story. So please give me some feedback and let me know how this story is turning out. And sorry for the short delay on updating, something was wrong with the site and I couldn't upload at all._


	5. Chapter 5: A Ghostly Meeting

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch. The idea of Phantom of the Opera belongs to its rightful owner(s).

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Holy crap this chapter was hard to write! I was a little stumped on how I would do it since I wanted it to end the way I have it. But I eventually got is straightened out but I'm still not that happy with it. Oh well, but the rest of is story will run smoothly so I am happy. And the fact I use the word grapple-cam tons of times but I hate typing it. I can type around 80 words a minute but putting a hyphen in slows me down (which I hate). But, I finally got it written and the plot starts to thicken at the end of this and the rest. So, please read and review and let me know what you think and what I can improve!_

Chapter 5: A Ghostly Meeting

I sat up from the kitchen table, away from the computer, and walked to the window to think. I silently chewed on a nail and going over what the Phantom had just secretly revealed to the grapple-cam. I rested my paws against the side of the sink and took a deep breath, hoping to calm my nerves. Other than concern for Ramona's safety, the biggest question on my mind was how did the Phantom even get a chance to get to Ramona? Since we learned how the Phantom got into her apartment the last time, Ramona had sealed up the entrance that allowed him access to her home. Now that it was sealed, there was no way he could have gotten in, unless he broke in the old fashioned way. I pondered this thought for a while until the sounds of Bentley typing away at the computer filled my ears. I glanced to the wheelchair bound turtle before back out the window. He was adjusting the settings on the grapple-cam while I stayed quiet. I needed to figure out how the Phantom had gotten into her apartment and how he had altered her memory. After that I'd have to come back and figure how to stop that wedding ceremony; or if push came to shove crash it.

"I'm going to her apartment," I muttered as I pushed myself away from the sink, "I'll be back later." After seeing what I just had from the grapple-cam I wasn't in that good of a mood and ready to take on just about anything that got in my way. I normally never let my emotions get in the way of my actions but this incident was pushing my limits.

"Wait!" Bentley shouted behind me, "Don't you want to figure this out?"

"Later." I muttered as I exited the building. I rushed down the streets towards Ramona's apartment as I thought of different ways the Phantom could have gotten in. the passageway through the one way mirror was sealed off so that was out of the question, she had a total of maybe three windows in her entire apartment, her sliding glass door had a lock that usually stumped me, and her front door was always locked. Unless they guy was a master lock picker, I was stumped. Despite his title, the man wasn't an actual ghost and could do absolutely nothing supernatural, except maybe a slight gift in hypnotism. And then there was the actual fact of how he even had control of Ramona in the first place. Ramona was an extremely talented fighter and any attempt he would attempt to make on her she would surely put a fight and from the grapple-cam shots and my spying, he didn't have a single scratch on him. There had to be something more complicated going on when it came to how he managed to control her. Sitka, Ramona's older brother, was extremely protective of his sister and if the Phantom had broken in, I would have heard from him by now. In fact, I hadn't heard from her brothers or sisters since this entire thing started a few days ago. Maybe I'd hear from one of them soon and see if they had any additional information or if they even knew what was going on.

"Cooper!" I groaned when I recognized the voice. I turned and knew I was in for a nagging speech when my eyes landed on Ramona's older sister, Charlotte. Even if she was older than both Ramona and Carmelita, her resemblance to Carmelita could have made them identical. The angered vixen stormed down the streets and there was no way this would end nicely. To be honest, Charlotte was more intimidating than her older brother for numerous reasons. For one, even if her normal attitude was rather quiet she still had the streak of Latin temper in her that gave her a mean side. So when she was mad, it was almost as if you took the temper of both Ramona and Carmelita and compiled them into one petite form. Second, being a former Interpol officer and then the skills she had picked up while thieving, she could fight better than most people I knew and could beat the crap out of anyone who crossed her. Her fur was ruffled, she was absolutely frazzled, and I ready to get yelled at.

"What did you do to my sister?" she shouted after she rushed up next to me on the sidewalk.

"Nothing, absolutely nothing," I spat out quickly after seeing that her paws were balled up into fists, "I'm trying to get everything sorted out now!" she hit my with a left hook to the chest and I couldn't help but wheeze out a breath. For a small woman, she packed a punch.

"Then tell me why she doesn't know who I am! Tell me why she says she's getting married!" she was shouting and attempted to pull me into a headlock before I could answer. I stepped backward and put my arms up to keep her a small distance away.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Trust me, I'm just as confused as you are. All I'm sure of is that this is due to the Phantom we dealt with a few months ago. I swear, that's all I know." That seemed to calm her down a little but she was still frazzled. Thankfully she wasn't as headstrong as her brother but was still a upset. She shoved my arms off her shoulders and gave a huff.

"Fine," she spat out, "but if you do have anything to do with it I will be back." She pointed a finger up to my nose before walking away. After I was sure she was gone I let out a breath and was glad she had left. He temper was fiery and you didn't want to be on the receiving end of it. I shook it off and continued for my destination. After seeing how mad Charlotte was, the last person I wanted to see today was her brother. But knowing my luck, it was only a matter of time until I'd see him. I calmly walked through the streets, trying to avoid attention to myself and for keeping an eye out for Ramona's brother or the Phantom. I spotted Ramona's apartment complex a block or two over and it was peaceful looking, as usual. Ramona's glass door could bee seen from my position and it appeared to be intact and there wasn't anything suspicious. I had only taken one step before I was pulled backwards by the scruff of my neck and pulled into the nearest alley. I felt my cane be swiped away from my grasp and forcefully rammed against my neck. My first though was that Sitka had figured out what was going on and taking his anger out on me but I was completely wrong. I felt my head slam against the brick wall and when my head finally stopped spinning, I saw who had actually grabbed me. I tried to push my cane off of my neck so I could breathe but it was too much force for me to push away. I looked up and I was standing eye to eye with the cold, unmoving, expressionless, masked face of the Phantom.

_Well, I'll be honest, I don't like this chapter. I feel that it's actually pointless but I ended it the way I did for a reason. And I decided to use Charlotte instead of Sitka since I really hadn't used her in my stories lately and I didn't want people to think I'd just left her out! So I put a little bit of a description in just incase but I still don't care for this chapter (except for maybe the last paragraph or so). But I had to put a little length in it so I added the confrontation with Charlotte (even though I had planned it for later). But, please review and give me your thoughts, questions, comments, suggestions, just any feedback so I know how I'm doing. Thanks! _


	6. Chapter 6: A Secret Confession

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch. The idea of Phantom of the Opera belongs to its rightful owner(s).

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Well it certainly took me a while to get this chapter typed, but I'm pretty pleased with it. I wanted to add more emotion into it, throw some more tension in, and add another one of the songs I had left out. So I think I pulled it off pretty well but please read and review and let me know if you agree or disagree. And I think I forgot to mention this earlier, like chapter 1 early, but this actually takes place after Bentley is in his wheelchair and Murray leaves but before he comes back and the Sly 3 story plays out. So that's why Murray's not in this story, or the last, and for some reason not many of the ones I right. Personally Murray is actually my favorite character but it's so hard to write for him! But, please leave me and questions, comments, thoughts, suggestions, etc. _

Chapter 6: A Secret Confession

I slowly drew in my breaths as the pushing on my throat got tighter and tighter. The Phantom said nothing as he kept pressing my cane against my throat and I still tried to push the Phantom away. I couldn't talk and there was no one on the streets to see the two of us. Even if it was the late afternoon, the shadows concealed the cloaked man from the outside world. I turned my head to the side so I could hopefully breathe a little better but I still felt him press harder. This was one of the few times where I regretted that my cane was solid metal, wood, and heavy. I finally felt him stop pressing against my neck but his hold was still tight. We were standing in absolute silent which was broken suddenly by the Phantom.

"I told you to stay away from Ramona, but I see that you still refuse." I opened my mouth to reply but he kept talking, "She's been safe and secure at my home and you're trying to take her away from me. I heard you talking to her sister and you will not have her. And I will tell you right now, Ramona is _mine_, she belongs to _me_ and there is nothing you can do about it. You already have one strike against you, Cooper and you're heading for another one. Either you say or no nothing until after Saturday or not only will you pay the price," he paused and his voice got deeper and more venomous, "but she will too." I that General Tsao was horrible when it came to finding a bride, but this guy ten times worse.

"You can't make her love you! Your control over her won't last forever! She'll come to her senses sooner than you think and she'll fight back! You don't know her like I do!" he smirked.

"I know her well enough to know that once she says her vows she'll never even look at you again. She already thinks you're stalking her; you can't possibly changer her mind now. Everything you try only confirms what she believes and drives her closer to me." I gripped my crane even tighter and growled.

"What did you tell her?" I roared. I tried to push back again but the raccoon was stronger than I'd thought and pushed me back again.

"I've told her enough. Right now, she loves me more than I could have ever hoped and she hates you more than you could ever imagine." I knew he was trying to eat away at my jealousy trying to get me to snap and it was unfortunately working.

"But she doesn't really love you! There is no way her 'feelings' will last forever!" I shouted back. He was really starting to eat away at my nerves and my temper and there was no way I could keep up a shouting match much longer.

"You know absolutely nothing about our love," he retorted, "In fact, I'm the only one who truly loves her for who she is! So why are you trying so hard, Cooper? What's your motive?"

"That is a lie!" I shouted slowly, making sure every word was forceful and venomous.

"Really, then who else loves her, Cooper?" he sneered and smirked again.

"I do! Alright, I'm the one who loves her, not you!" he said nothing else but simply chuckled to himself and gave one final yet forceful push to my cane before disappearing into the darkness.

I picked up my cane from the concrete ground before making my way to her apartment. After that incident, I wasn't going to give up on getting her back and sending that psychotic mask wearer behind bars or somewhere else that he deserved to go. I was still fired up and wasted no time climbing up to her apartment door and picking the lock. After I was successfully inside, everything was pristine, like it normally was, that is until I got to her bedroom. Everything was a mess and a fight had obviously taken place here. The source of the mess seemed to be coming from her closet and I had a feeling of what had happened. I stepped inside the small closet and my fears were realized. The sealed off passageway that lead to the Phantom's sewer home had been torn down and I now knew how he had gotten in. It was obvious that the two had fought but apparently the Phantom had won. My thoughts we frazzled when Bentley's nasally voice screeched in my ear.

"Sly! You've got to get here and fast! I think she's coming out of her daze! She doesn't know what she is!" I quickly bolted from her apartment, locking the door behind me, and ran as fast as my legs would carry me. If she was coming out of the Phantom's control, this might be over now. It only took me a few minutes before I burst through the front doors of my hideout and slid to a stop behind Bentley; my eyes glued to the computer screen.

"Fill me in, Bentley, fill me in. What's going on?" I asked quickly. I could see a fully awake Ramona and the Phantom starting to enter the room.

"She woke up and he started singing right after I called you. She was offensive at first but it looks like she's starting to succumb again.

"In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came. That voice which calls to me, and speaks my name. And do I dream again, for now I found, the Phantom of the Opera is there inside my mind." Ramona's voice drifted to the speakers and was quickly followed by the Phantom's.

"Sing once again with me, out strange duet. My power over you grows stronger yet. And though you turn from me to glance behind, the Phantom of the Opera is there, inside your mind." Bentley and I both shot each other and glance and I knew we were thinking the same thing.

"Those who have seen your face draw back in fear; I am the mask you wear…"

"It's me they hear…" his voice drifted as he started to approach Ramona and she allowed him.

"My spirit and my voice in one combine, the Phantom of the Opera is there inside my mind… Beware…the Phantom of the Opera. Is that the Phantom of the Opera?" she cocked her head and I watched as he placed his paw on the side of her face and sang his reply.

"Sing my angel of music," a smile grew on his face as she started singing a typical opera type vocal practice, "Sing for me!" I looked away from the screen and turned my attention to turtle. We knew how he had his control over Ramona and it was so simple.

"It's the music!" we shouted simultaneously. Somehow, the music he always sang had put her under his spell and had given him the chance to control her.


	7. Chapter 7: Hearing Voices

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch. The idea of Phantom of the Opera belongs to its rightful owner(s).

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

Sorry about the late update…I didn't feel like it yesterday and then today…well, it didn't go well. I locked my car keys in the trunk of my car, didn't have a spare, couldn't unlock it from the inside because the doors were locked, couldn't find anyone to open the car, had to resort to calling the police for help, had to wait an hour for them to show up, and finally another 15 for the trunk to open. But I did finally get it open and got my keys from the trunk and felt like a complete idiot. But, here's chapter 7 so please read and review and let me know what you think along with questions, comments, etc. And for the record, I decided I'd split this part into two chapters so if this seems a little short, that's why.

Chapter 7: Hearing Voices

"No! I'm not going back down there! I've got too much work to do for a wild goose chase!" I groaned as I tried to win the argument I was situated in.

"She's your sister!" I retorted back, "Your twin to be exact and you just want to sit and do paperwork?" I thought that if I could get Carmelita and her squadron on my side, they could take down the Phantom and arrest him. However, a thief trying to persuade the police officer that's been chasing you isn't an easy job. I was just thankful she wasn't trying to arrest me. Standing in her office on a busy Saturday afternoon probably wasn't the best idea but we were pressed for time. It was the Saturday Ramona and the Phantom had agreed to be married on but we didn't know what time it was scheduled to take place or where for that matter. Bentley decided he would keep a constant eye on the grapple-cam if anything happened while I tried to persuade Carmelita for help, but that wasn't going too well.

"I'd rather put you behind bars but someone took my shock pistol!" it was true, to avoid being zapped, I slung her shock pistol onto the office balcony and kept my cane on her intercom so she could call for backup, "You don't even know where this is supposed to happen, Cooper. Do you expect me to drop everything just for that?"

"Yes! I'm not talking about some random person off the streets; I'm talking about you younger sister. We have cameras and a pretty good idea on where they're supposed to get married!" despite her usual disapproval of her sisters' actions, I was surprised she was against arresting the Phantom. She shook her head again before I heard Bentley's voice screech in my ear piece

"Sly! You've got to hurry! I'm watching the grapple-cam and Ramona's already in the wedding dress. They're starting the ceremony now! They're in the Phantom's lair and they're getting ready for everything to start! You've got to get down there now!" I felt my heart start to pound, knowing we were running out of time and I still hadn't accomplished my goal.

"Listen, they're starting the ceremony now and they're in the sewers! You've got to help your sister!"

"Unless you can give me certain proof, you're out of luck." She said back before leaning in her chair. I groaned, shook my head, and headed for Ramona's apartment knowing that would be the quickest way to the lair. I bolted from the police station, through the streets, avoiding as many people as I could, and climbed up the drainpipe to Ramona's apartment as fast as I could. I picked the lock on the sliding glass door and jumped over living room furniture to get to the bedroom. I ripped back the clothing in the closet, past the broken bricks, and down the tunnel. Time was running out and if they said their vows before I could get into the sewers then it was all over. Ramona would believe anything the Phantom told her and any chance I had to have my rival back was ruined.

"Sly! All the gates in the sewers are closed! You can't get inside!" Bentley shouted after I was halfway down the stairs in the sewer. I was running down the stairs, skipping two or three steps at the time and had to think fast.

"I'm on my way. Distract them, stop the ceremony from continuing! If you can distract the Phantom with your grapple-cam he'll have to investigate and hopefully open a gate, but hurry!"

"I'm on it!" he replied quickly. I could hear Bentley click a few keys before letting his voice ring over the grapple-cam speaker, "Hey, you, the unattractive person!" I came to a skidding stop in front of the gate and could see the Phantom and Ramona. I kept quiet and watched the two raccoons. They were both dressed for their wedding, standing at the alter, but looked around instead of each other. Bentley's voice distracted them and had obviously confused them. I stuck to the shadows at the entrance I was standing at and realized it was a different one than the one Ramona and I had escaped from the last time. This place had so many tunnels that you couldn't take one step without finding a new one.

"Show yourself, you monster!" the Phantom shouted at Bentley's voice. I could believe he'd actually use a clichéd line like that but I ignored it.

"Yo ugly!" Bentley shouted and I laughed quietly. He was always good at coming up with rather random and funny insults but with the current situation we were currently it, it was rather funny. The madder the Phantom got, the more insults Bentley sputtered out.

"You're a bad person, I mean it! Follow the sound of my voice!" the Phantom stepped down from the alter and searched around the lair, "You will never find me! Hey fatty! Over here!"

"Stay there, my dear," the Phantom said to Ramona who was still at the alter in her dress.

"Up your nose, with a rubber hose!" Bentley's insults kept coming and the Phantom eventually pulled a lever which caused a few of the grated to raise up, including the one I was behind, "Yo Mamma, eat dirt!" I didn't know if that last one was directed towards Ramona, but she turned her head which gave met the chance to leave the tunnel and sneak up to her, "Bawk, bawk, bawk, ba-kawk!" Bentley shouted and the Phantom entered another tunnel. I heard Bentley's last insult before creeping up behind Ramona.

"Aloha, idiot!" the turtle shouted and I clamped a paw over Ramona's mouth after sneaking up behind her. She turned quickly on her heels, her two foot trail twisting behind her, and I saw her eyes grow wide.

"What are you doing here?" she almost screeched, "First you stalk me then you crash my wedding?" she swatted at me with her paw and I avoided it.

"Listen to me, this isn't what you want!" I said sternly, "Getting married in a sewer to a man who doesn't truly love you is stupid and you are smarter than that. He has you underneath his grasp and it's fogging your mind. You aren't in love with him, Ramona. Whatever he's told you is a lie and is putting you under his spell just so he can satisfy some twisted fantasy to marry you. He doesn't truly love you and you don't love him either."

"You don't know anything about me! You don't know anything about who I love or who loves me! He's the only man who has ever actually shown me was it's like to be loved in return. He's the only one who's ever loved me and you know nothing about it!" we were yelling at each other but I figured it'd be worth it in the end.

"You're wrong, Ramona. You have to believe me!" she shook her head.

"Who else then, tell me one person, one!" she forcefully lifted up an index finger, showing off the number one.

"I do, Ramona! I'll say it loud and to anyone in the world, alright!" I lifted my arms up to prove a point while my voice was loud, "Ramona, I'm in love with you! What do you want me to do to show you that I'm not lying and that he's you enemy?" I turned slightly to motion to where the Phantom had chased down Bentley's camera, which I quickly learned was a bad idea along with us shouting everything. I groaned and doubled over as soon as I turned and I suddenly felt the blade of the Phantom's sword, which he carried with him everywhere, enter my stomach sharply and my blood start to rush from the wound.

_And the next chapter will finish of the wedding crasher part of the story! Yeah, I had to leave it as a cliff hanger. And I have to be honest, I loved writing Bentley's grapple-cam insults. Those had to be the best Bentley lines out of all three games and felt proud when I figured out a way to incorporate them into my story. And I'm sorry if it feels a little rushed, but the car key in trunk thing threw me off and I wanted to update today. Anyway, please review and let me know what you think!_


	8. Chapter 8: Numbing

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch. The idea of Phantom of the Opera belongs to its rightful owner(s).

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Alright, here's the second half of the mission chapter(s). Again, this is a little short but I split it in half. And if you read chapter 7 2 or 3 hours after I posted it, I'm Sorry for the confusion. I uploaded Chapter 6 again instead of 7 but I do have all of it fixed and again I'm sorry for the confusion. And again, if you have any questions, comments, or anything else about the story please let me know. So, please read and review and let me know what you think. _

Chapter 8: Numbing

"I warned you, Cooper," the Phantom's menacing voice fill my hears, "I told you if you interfered with my wedding then a disaster would happen." He thrust the sword upwards and I gasped for air and pain flowed through my veins, "I was right, wasn't I?" even if I could only see the floor, I could tell he was smirking as he pulled the weapon from my abdomen. While he walked away to another part of the sewer, I slowly slunk down and flopped on the ground and clutched my wound in an attempt to slow the bleeding. Time seemed to creep by at a snails pace and it gave me a chance to look at how far the Phantom had gone out for his wedding. Even if it was a sewer, it was filled with candles, flowers, music was playing when I first came in but it died away a while ago, and the altar was small but like the rest of the room, it was painted in gold due to the candle light. I kept my breathing slow and steady in an attempt to keep my heart rate down so I would loose so much blood. But I could tell that wasn't working. The gash was too big and too deep and I was running out of time before things went from bad to worse. I glanced down to the gash in my stomach and saw that the wound was still gushing blood, my shirt and gloves were covered in the red liquid, and there was no one here to help me out. Bentley was in the hideout, Ramona still thought I was a stalker and wouldn't help, and the police refused to even come down here.

I felt a pair of paws quickly push my paws against my wound and I saw Ramona keeping them in place. She was frazzled at the sudden actions of her fiancé, who had disappeared to somewhere in the sewer and I could feel my fingers and toes start to get cold while I was surprisingly calm, probably due to shock. She was shaking herself and frantically trying to look for something to stop the bleeding.

"Ramona," I said quietly, "What are you doing?" the pain from the stab wound had stopped and was now nothing but a dull numbing feeling.

"Not letting you bleed out at my wedding," she muttered while ripping a strip of fabric off her dress, "Even if you've stalked me," she glanced up after securing the cloth around my stab wound, "I won't let you die." My ears perked when the sounds of yelling and Carmelita's loud voice could be heard coming to our location. I guessed that Bentley had gotten the police on our side and now they were here and ready to make arrests. Even though she had selective amnesia, Ramona was still a wanted criminal and would be arrested. After going through all of this I figured being arrested was the last thing she needed and she needed to get out of here.

"Get out of here," I muttered quickly, "The police will arrest you if they find you, get out of here. Now!" she shook her head.

"No," she applied more pressure to my abdomen, "you're going to the hospital." Even with amnesia, she was still stubborn and I'd have to figure out how to get her to go home. I grabbed the side of her head and pulled her face towards my own. My breath was starting to get shaky and just about every part of my body was getting cold.

"Go…home, Ramona…Go home." I managed to breathe out before I started seeing black spots in my vision. I was almost out of time and there would be no way I could get to the hospital for a blood transfusion before I bled out. I decided that I would pull one last move before the rest of my blood left my body. I quickly leaned up and kissed her. She tried to pull away but I didn't let her. If this was going to be the last time I would ever going to see her, not to mention kiss her, then I was determined to make it last. I pulled away and her face was full of confusion but she was still determined to get me out of here.

"Get out of here." I pushed her away in an attempt to get here out of here before the police burst through an entrance. She still refused and she knew I wasn't going to get up on my own, I felt her try to lift me up herself. I was a lot heavier than she could pick up and I was cutting my time close. I felt another pair of arms come and wrap around my chest behind me and Ramona and the unknown person lift me. I was shifted to their shoulder and I learned the other person was Carmelita. I was still bleeding profusely and I was getting light headed along with everything else. I didn't have enough energy to move my feet and I knew I was being dragged by the two females up some random staircase. I couldn't feel anything from my waist down and that feeling was starting to slowly creep up into my chest. My breathing was becoming labored as I was dragged and my vision was starting to get blurry and my hearing was starting to fail me. I felt myself be transferred to two of Ramona's brothers who worked for Interpol and they moved me up the stair faster than the two females. I glanced around for Ramona and noticed she was heading back down the stairs with her sister.

"Ramona!" I shouted as the dark spots in my vision got bigger and my eyelids started to droop, "Ramona, don't go back to him! Ramona!" shouting her name was the last thing I remember before my eyes closed and I felt my body go limp.

_This is a reply for S.R.J.S. Fangirl from P's review. To be honest I've never been a big fan of Sonic the Hedgehog and I've never really played Jak and Daxter but I do like the games. Even though when I was a kid a friend of mine would come over everyday and play either that, Ratchet and Clank, or Sly Cooper. That's how I got started on Sly Cooper and Ratchet and Clank but I've never really cared for Sonic. And I say that because when I was a kid I always played Crash Bandicoot and the two competed with each other when it came to sales and I preferred Crash. And I'm not sure what stories you've read but I actually have the characters from that game incorporated with my OC (mainly as siblings or enemies) And Sly Cooper isn't the one favorite game that I write about or enjoy. Like I just mentioned, I love the Crash games. But I write mainly for Sly Cooper because I like to incorporate romance into a lot of my stories and since I have Crash and those characters set as my OC's siblings, you can't really do too much romance between siblings, that would be incest. Just stating. And then for the game news you sent, yeah I think that would be a pretty awesome. Even if I don't care for Sonic it has a lot of games that I do play/enjoy watching if I don't play them. So I think that if that does happen it would be pretty interesting. So I hope that answered your questions. And I had to put my answers on this chapter since you sent a review anonymously and I couldn't PM you the answers or give you an e-mail reply. So, I hope that helps. Thanks. _


	9. Chapter 9: Realization

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch. The idea of Phantom of the Opera belongs to its rightful owner(s).

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Ok, I know it's a little late in the story to say this but I do try to update daily, it's not always at the same time, but I do try to get things posted before 10 on weekdays then there's no telling on weekends. But this story is starting to wind down; it'll probably go to 12 chapters, maybe 13. And I do have a few oneshot ideas in the works but no really big stories like this. There is a possibility that I'll do a crossover (if I can think of a decent plot) between the Sly Cooper and Crash Bandicoot (since with my stories the Crash characters are related to my OC) but I'm not sure yet. That one is just a big 'if' but I do have a few oneshots in progress. Anyway, if you have any questions, comments, etc. about the story please let me know. So, please read and review and let me know what you think._

Chapter 9: Realization

My heavy eyelids opened slowly and I let the steady stream of light enter my eyes. I had to blink my eyes and allow them to focus before it finally registered in my mind that I was in a hospital and not dead. I actually couldn't see how that was even possible but of course overjoyed that I hadn't slipped into a permanent state of rest. I sighed and gently placed a paw over my wrapped wound. Even though it was stitched, I could still feel the deep cut in my abdomen and each movement sent a dull ache to it. It wasn't that big of a gash, five inches maybe, but it certainly was deep and it had to have hit a few organs. I looked around the room, hoping to see someone there with me to talk to, but I was alone. I had no idea where Bentley was and Ramona certainly wasn't around. That's when I remembered yelling her name before I passed out. She had handed me off to her two brothers before heading back down the staircase. I sighed and sunk my head into my pillow when realizing she probably went back down there and got married to the Phantom. Realization hit me like a ton of bricks when it sunk in my brain that I had failed at my job and that she was probably getting ready to honeymoon with the man who stabbed me right now. Despite all my efforts, I still had failed at saving her from the Phantom and now her memory was whatever he wanted it to be and she would more than likely hate my guts from here on out. I couldn't help but feel horrible in more ways than one. I was sitting in a hospital bed with a stab would, I was alone in the hospital, and then to add icing to the cake of misery, the woman I was madly in love with was married to another man and I would never be able to talk to her again without being called a stalker or worse.

"Can we talk?" my head shot up from the pillow and my eyes were glued to the door to the room, the place where the all too familiar voice had come from.

"Sure," I said as I patted the side of my bed since there were no other chairs or pieces of furniture in the room. I was actually surprised to see that Ramona was standing in the doorway to my hospital room wanting to talk, "What are you doing here? I thought that you…" I paused and didn't want to complete my sentence and admit defeat. I could see that she had something in her grasp but I wasn't entirely sure what it was. She came in slowly and gently sat down on the edge of the bed and picked at her fingernails.

"No," she was quiet and still fumbled with her nails, "I decided not to in the end," She had changed out of her wedding dress and changed simply into a pair of jeans and a sweater since I last saw her so I could only assume I'd been in here for a while, "I needed to talk to you about what you told me," she finally made eye contact, "but I still don't know who you are." I sighed and sat up as best as I could.

"I was afraid you'd say that," I said quietly as she looked back down at her paws. Her bangs fell over the left side of her face so I couldn't see what she was looking at directly but it surely wasn't eye contact, "Then what did you want to talk about?" she picked up the object she had come in with and handed it to me. I had forgotten about leaving my cane in the sewers and somewhat surprised to see she had decided to return it.

"You left this down there," she looked up again, "I figured it was important." I grabbed her paw with mine when she handed to cane over to my possession but she pulled away. We sat in silence before I attempted to start up a conversation.

"Why did you go back down after bringing me up?" I could only assume why she had gone back down there but if she said she didn't marry him then my hopes were lifted.

"Honestly, I went back down to get married, but after I went back down he had changed," she looked at me again, "He was a little more forceful and eager to get the wedding moving but I wanted to figure out why he…" she paused and pointed to my abdomen and I nodded, "but he just wanted to get married and ignore what happened and just get married. That's all he talked about doing. I still refused until he told me why he was so forceful but he was still headstrong. It was when he grabbed me by the arm once and tried to pull me to the altar that I figured something was wrong. That was crossing the line when he tried to yank me to the altar." I knew she had a temper and forcing her to do anything was a bad choice.

"So what'd you do?" I had a pretty good idea on what she did, but hearing it from her was just icing on the cake.

"I beat the snot out of him." I smirked and let out a snort of laughter at her comment and to my surprise she smiled as well, "he's over there in the other room," she pointed to the rooms across from mine.

"You put him in the hospital?" I was still smirking at just the thought of having the Phantom sitting in the same predicament I was enough to make me not care about getting stabbed. She nodded and laughed again, "Whether you have memory faults or not you still have a temper, don't you pretty lady?" I winked and she nodded before staring at me intently.

"You've called me that before, haven't you?" I nodded. It wasn't everyday that I called her that, but if she could remember one name that I called her, she might remember other things if I could trigger them in her mind. I watched as her eyebrows knitted together in thought. She shook her head before sighing softly. I assumed she still had her selective amnesia and I couldn't think of anything that would help jog her memory.

"I don't know," she simply muttered before reaching up and swiping the apple that had been placed on the lunch tray next to my bed.

"You little sneak!" I said through a laugh and she nodded before starting to stare again. I stared back and watched to see what she would do next. He pupils seemed to shrink back to normal size and the fog that clouded them disappeared. She blinked rapidly a few times before looking at me again before glancing around the room. Her glances finally returned to me and shook her head disapprovingly.

"Sly," she said after she started to chew through the apple she stole, "what did you do this time?" she motioned to my wrapped abdomen and raised an eyebrow. This was the first time she had called me by my first name since this entire ordeal had started and now she didn't know why I was in the hospital, "And you call me the klutz." She shifted her position on the edge of the bed and sat like in Indian; staring the entire time.

"You have no idea what happened?" was the only thing I could ask. She shook her head and gnawed at the apple she still had clutched in her paw.

"Not really. I mean," she paused and brushed her bangs out of the way, "you were fine yesterday when you tried to get that file you left at my apartment and now you're cooped up in a hospital. What's you do?" she was referring to a file I had left at her home a week before. The only thing it could think of was that her amnesia caused by the Phantom had gone away but she had no memory of what happened while she was 'engaged' to the Phantom.

"Do you not remember _anything_ that's happened in the past week?" I was trying to decipher what was going through her mind and it appeared she was doing the same with me.

"I think someone can't handle hospital medicines." She giggled before pushing my head softly and standing. I watched as she walked to the foot of the bed and overlooked the medical records that pertained to my stabbing, "You got stabbed?" she said loudly after looking back up.

"You were there!" I couldn't help but laugh out my answer. She knitted her eyebrows together again and sat on the edge of the bed.

"No I wasn't!" She shot back and playfully rolled her eyes, "I think I would have remembered that. Just tell me what happened."

"I'll explain it to you later." Even if she didn't remember anything about the past week, including a few personal feelings that finally came to the surface, I had the old Ramona back and I'd be able to explain what happened to her later. She raised an eyebrow suspiciously and I pulled her towards me in a hug. She replied with a grunt but fell into the hug quickly. The union was short lived when the sounds of footsteps could be heard coming towards the room and Ramona sat up quickly. We both stared at the door and watched Inspector Fox stand at the doorway. She motioned for Ramona to meet her in the hallway. Ramona lifted an eyebrow in suspicion but hesitantly followed her sister to the hallway. I watched her slap the handcuffs on her sister and attempt to explain to her why she was being arrested. But like the Ramona I knew all too well, she put up a fight. Ramona was just as headstrong as Carmelita and the Inspector had to eventually call another officer the haul the flustered raccoon away.

"Battery and assault charges," she turned to me, "I doubt they'll stick though. She manages to avoid every charge that's been placed on her." And with that, I was once again alone. Seeing that there was no one left to talk to, I decided that I'd take a nap and let the antibiotics run their course and the blood transfusion finish.

I was in a light sleep and could hear what was going on around me even if it wasn't registering in my mind. I heard the door open and close before I heard heavy footsteps in my room. I could tell someone was standing over me and I opened my eyes to see who it was. I felt me heart almost stop when I saw that it wasn't a nurse but a battered and bruised Phantom. He said nothing but simply ripped the I.V. from the bag that let the blood return to my veins. The blood started spurting from the tube and I doubled over in a howl when I punched me in the stab wound. In my temporary daze from the blow to my abdomen, I wasn't fully aware of what he was doing until it was too late. He had taken the rack that held the blood bag and used it to bar the door closed. Again, he said nothing but escaped from the hospital room from the window. I knew in my heart I was screwed. I couldn't walk because of the wound, the door was barred so no one could get in, and I was loosing blood faster than I could think. I would die of blood lass and there was no one around to help. Blood was still pouring out when I started to get light headed again and I slumped back into the hospital bed. My breathing was becoming labored again and there was nothing I could do about it. I knew the current mission of the Phantom was to have me dead for ruining his plans and I feared this time that he was dangerously close. My ears were ringing and the last picture in my mind before I passed out once again was the haunting, mask wearing face of the Phantom.

_I know this chapter is long and it was freakishly hard to write. I still don't like the way this turned out but it got the point across of what I wanted to happen. So, here's chapter 9 and please review and let me know what you think!_


	10. Chapter 10: A Death in the Family

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch. The idea of Phantom of the Opera belongs to its rightful owner(s).

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_I have to be honest… this chapter was freakishly hard to write. I had this idea in mind for a while now but I found out on Monday night, when I started writing it, that my Uncle had passed away the previous Wednesday in his home (he lived alone and no one knew he had passed). We think he died while asleep (that's what I'm praying for) but we don't really know that for sure yet. So, the entire time I typed this I had that thought in my mind and made this really hard to write but I eventually got it don't. So, please read and review and let me know what you think!_

Chapter 10: A Death in the Family

For some reason, if someone thinks funeral they associate it with a dark and gloomy day and surprisingly this was one of those days. I realized long ago that half of the things in my life ended up being clichéd but there was nothing I could do to change it. Thunder could be heard rumbling in the distance and the early signs of rain were obvious. The scene I saw before me was your typical funeral and frankly as depressing as you could think of. People were dressed in black, most of them were quiet or sobbing, and the man standing at the front was going on and on in a never ending speech which only depressed the people even more. I watched silently as the ceremony carried on for another hour until they finally started to lower the casket into the ground. A few final prayers were said and people started to walk away. I noticed that the only person that hadn't moved for their seat was a distraught Ramona. She was slumped in her seat and her expression wasn't easy to look at. Her ears were drooped, her tail sunk into the ground, her eyes were watery, and she was sniffing up snot every couple of seconds. She was now completely alone and she still hadn't moved from her spot since I started watching the funeral. It only took a few more minutes of silence until she completely doubled over and let out a heart wrenching sob.

The sounds of her crying were the only sounds in the quiet graveyard and I couldn't stand to hear it anymore. There was nothing more that I wanted to do than to go over to her and let her know she's not alone but I knew I couldn't. I knew I couldn't go up to her and hug her or try to console her but I just couldn't. I sighed when her crying got louder and she was still alone. Rain started to sprinkle down on her and that just made me feel even worse. She wiped the tears streaming down her face but let her head fall in her paws and her sobs started up again. I shook my head and decided that it would be worth it if I got caught. I quietly climbed down from the building I was perched on and figured that if someone saw me out in the open and call the police then I'd be worth getting arrested. I silently knelt down in front of her and placed me paws on her shoulders. She didn't say anything but simply started muttering something into her paws. She eventually lifted her head, used her paws to wipe away her tears and sniffed once before finally meeting my gaze.

"The only adult figure I had left is over there in that casket." She mumbled. Her mother had died a few days after Ramona regained her memory but I still hadn't told her what had happened with the Phantom. Since she was trying to handle her mother's recent death, telling her what happened with the Phantom wouldn't be the best thing to do.

I nodded slowly and sighed when the rain started to come down a little heavier. She shook her head and stood abruptly after shoving my paws from her shoulders. I rubbed the bridge of my nose with a thumb and forefinger before standing and deciding to chase after her. Ramona was never a one who liked to be kept in suspense and since I refused to tell her what had gone on with the Phantom until everything with the funeral was over, she was frustrated with me. She never had a good way to deal with death in her family and most of the time she was on the edge of snapping. I knew she was stressed about different things so her short temper didn't really bother me. What bothered me was how she dealt with her emotions to other people. She almost refused to show any emotions to anyone which meant it was only a matter of time until she finally lost it. I hobbled behind her as quickly as I could without irritating the wound I still had in my abdomen. I had been released for the hospital a few days ago and until the cut had completely healed, thieving was out of the question.

"Ramona!" I shouted behind her after I had finally caught up to her. She stopped on the bridge in the middle of the city and shot me an annoyed glance.

"I'm not in the mood, Cooper!" she leaned against the side of the bridge and stayed silent. I shook my head quietly before strolling up next to her and placing a paw on her neck. I felt her muscles tense and she turned her head away, "I'm not in the mood." She repeated. I her voice was starting to crack and she started sniffing snot again.

"I'm just trying to get you to cheer up, Ramona." she shook her head and finally looked at me.

"Then tell me what happened and why I don't remember anything. Tell me why you got stabbed and why I don't remember it when you said I was there." Tears were streaming down her face again and the look on her face told me she was frazzled on the inside.

"Ramona, what you're going through with you mom's death is hard on you," she nodded slightly, "but if you knew what happened and who caused it you would loose it. I don't want to tell you until you're over the funeral. Then you won't have two hard things hanging over you and you won't go crazy." She shook her head.

"Tell me, Sly, please. I don't like being kept in the dark," she paused, "Just give me the name and tell me later." I sighed, knowing this wouldn't end well, and told her.

"The Phantom." I muttered quietly. Her faced dropped even more than before and she shook her head.

"No, no, no," she almost wined while gripping the sides of her head. She rested her elbows on the side of the bridge and ran her fingers through her hair, "I knew he'd be back sometime. I swear everything in my life goes wrong. First my mother dies and now this," she shot a glance to me again, "what else can go wrong?" I shrugged and she sighed again. I moved my paw from her neck and moved it to her shoulder to pull her into a hug. It only took a few seconds before she was crying again and her voice was caught in her throat.

"I feel so bad!" she mumbled into my shirt. It was the only thing I could make out before her voice was muffled by my shirt and along with her incoherent blabbering and half of her words drifting into Spanish; it had no idea what she was saying. I knew she had never had a good relationship with her mother and I could only figure that now that she was dead, it was hitting Ramona hard. The rain started to pour down in a moderate stream now and we had to get out of the rain. I also knew she still wanted to talk so I decided that taking her home and talking with her there would be good for her. We'd get out of the rain and she could get her pent up feelings off her chest.

"Come on," I whispered into her ear before pushing her home. She kept her head on my shoulder as we walked and the only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of a sniffling Ramona, the pounding of rain on the ground, and the click of Ramona's heels on the pavement.

_And again I'm sorry for the long update period but my mind's been frazzled because of the death of my uncle but I finally got it typed. (Even though I don't really like it since the story line of it is a funeral) but please review and let me know what you think._


	11. Chapter 11: A Shape in the Shadows

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch. The idea of Phantom of the Opera belongs to its rightful owner(s).

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Sorry for the slight delay in updating, we had the funeral for my uncle yesterday and I didn't have time to update, but here's chapter 11! And this is the next to last chapter so after I upload the last chapter I'll upload the oneshot request I received a while ago and get that started. Anyway, please read and review and let me know what you think!_

Chapter 11: A Shape in the Shadows

The rain finally started to let up as I climbed the drain pipe to Ramona's apartment building. I'd decided to climb in through the sliding glass door while Ramona came in the front in order to keep the attention from me in the main lobby. Ever since Ramona had been released from prison after the stabbing, or escaped if one wanted to be technical, attention was on high alert for criminals. Thankfully Ramona was on good terms with the owners of the building and most of the residents inside. I shook the water from my fur after I had finally reached her balcony and waited for Ramona to open the door so I could get inside and out of the gloomy weather. I did have sympathy for her however; she was in a slump when it came to thieving, depressed, confused, alone, is being stalked by a deranged man, and the last adult figure in her life had just passed away a few days ago. I watched as she slowly made her way inside and to the door to let me in. I watched as she unlocked the various locks on the door before it finally slid open silently. It was obvious she had been crying on her way up to her apartment and it was obvious she was trying to hide it.

I shut the door behind me and made sure it was locked before returning my attention to the depressed raccoon standing next to me. I felt her quickly wrap her arms around my chest and sigh deeply. The fabric of her dress rustled against my shirt and her bare shoulders were freezing, even on my gloved paws. I placed my chin on her head when it registered in my mind that this was the worst I had ever seen her. Even after meeting her for the first time when we were kids and her mother dropped her off at the orphanage, she was happier than she was now. She was in desperate need of consoling, someone to talk to, and a shoulder to cry on and I planned to be there for her until she was out of her slump. Bentley never approved of me spending time with her unless it was necessary because he believed it messed with the 'internal balance of thieving rivalries' but I never listened and didn't plan on it. I was snapped out of my thoughts when I felt her slink away and head for her bedroom, probably to change out of her dress, and I flopped on her couch while looking around her small home. Everything was clean and well kept and always had the smell of cherry blossoms inside. Ramona eventually emerged, clad in her pajamas, and rolled over the edge of the couch and landed with a flop and a sigh.

"I'm depressed." She muttered after eventually making eye contact. I nodded while gently squeezing her forearm.

"I know," I mumbled my reply and smiled to myself when she curled up into a ball and rested her head on my chest. I managed to snake my arm behind her and pulled her closer without raising suspicions from the raccoon. Ramona always had a childlike aspect about her personality and this only confirmed it in my mind. She reminded me of a small child cuddling against a parent for comfort and support.

"Tell me the truth, Sly," she eventually mumbled out, "what did the Phantom want this time?" I sighed and figure that if I was ever going to tell her what happened, doing it now would be the best time.

"Uhh," I shifted on the couch and tried to figure out how to say it, "he uhh, he-he wanted you to-to get married to him. And he didn't want you refuse so he basically altered your memory." I had no other idea on how to break it to so I just said it but I had no idea how she'd take it. I heard her sigh and felt her bury her face into my chest before groaning loudly. I heard her say something but it was muffled in my shirt. I knitted my eyebrows together in an attempt to figure out what she said but I was still stumped. She shifted her face on my chest and repeated her statement.

"Define 'altered your memory'." She stated simply.

"He didn't want you to run away like last time." He mouth formed the shape of an 'o' and nodded.

Things were silent between us as I listened to the sounds of rain impacting the balcony outside. Even if it was only mid-afternoon, the overcast clouds gave the sky a hazy and sleepy look. I sighed and tried to start another conversation with Ramona, but was greeted by a snoring raccoon. She was still curled onto my chest, but I wasn't going to move her. With the bags under her eyes, it was obvious she hadn't gotten much sleep in a while and she was in desperate need of a few solid hours. I yawned myself after a while and shifted on the couch. Ramona moved with me but stayed asleep in her quiet slumber. I kissed her on the forehead before letting my heavy eyelids take control and I let myself drift off to sleep.

Ice cold wind alerted me from my nap and I waited for my eyes to adjust to the somewhat dark room. It was early morning and Ramona's apartment was freezing. I soon figured out the source of the cold wind was coming from the open sliding glass door. The moonlight painted the room in a soft blue and I could see the curtain flowing in the wind. I got ready to get up and close it when I remembered I had locked the door when I had come in. This caused my ears to perk and my senses to heighten at this. I felt her shift positions in her sleep and turn on her back while keeping her head on my chest. I scanned her empty living room and panned to the right towards the kitchen. I felt my heart rate increase when I could make out the shape of a person standing in her kitchen by the table. I tightly grabbed my cane off of the couch and sat up while keeping my eyes on the figure. It was turned away from the two of us and hunched over as if the person was writing something on the table. I watched as the person finally stood up straight and turned on their heels. They were cloaked and with the moonlight shining in through the kitchen window behind them, their face was hidden.

The figure started to step sideways towards the open door, keeping their attention on both me and the unaware female beside me. Their footsteps were muffled by the carpet, but with my heightened hearing I could still hear them. I had heard them too many times recently and I feared that I knew the identity of the unknown man. I stayed on the defensive, keeping an arm over Ramona protectively, and kept my cane ready to strike. The figure simply walked towards the door and quietly stepped out into the sprinkling rain. I caught a glimpse of the intruders face when they stepped into the moonlight and I could feel my heard sink. The moonlight reflected off the pure white mask of the Phantom until he took a leap over the edge of the balcony and was gone. After gently shifting Ramona off of my chest, I quietly walked to the sliding glass door, shut it, and made sure it was locked. Everything was quiet as I silently made my way to her kitchen table to see what the Phantom had left for the raccoon. My eyes locked onto a handwritten note that was attached to a single red rose with a black, satin ribbon. Curiosity got to the best of me and I opened the note to see what he was telling her.

_Sing once again with me, our strange duet. My power over you grows stronger yet…_

_-O.G_

I sighed and closed the note before rubbing my eyes. I glanced back to the sleeping woman a few feet away and decided that I could leave her with the Phantom on the prowl. I'd stay here tonight then go home in the morning. I sleepily walked back to the couch and sat down softly, to avoid waking up Ramona. I left her there to once again avoid waking her up, knowing she needed the sleep. I rested my head on the back of the couch and closed me eyes in an attempt to get some sleep myself. My eyes opened and I smirked to myself when I felt her nuzzle her way up under my arm once again and quickly fell back to sleep. She was curled up in a ball, her paws kept close to her chest yet completely comfortable. Her breathing was steady as her soft snores started up again. I kept my arm wrapped around her and eventually drifted off to sleep again. I'd decided to let her sleep tonight and figure out how to deal with the note in the morning.


	12. Chapter 12: Midnight Run

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch. The idea of Phantom of the Opera belongs to its rightful owner(s).

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Well, here it is…the last chapter! And just for the record, I seriously doubt I'll make a continuation to this story so I don't run the idea into the ground. I do have a couple of oneshots in progress and I'll get them posted as soon as I can. But, please read and review and let me know what you think of this story and how it turned out! Thanks! And I just realized this about chapter 11, it skips from the falling asleep to waking up in one paragraph and when I typed it I but 3 *'s to show time change but apparently it doesn't show when I post so that wasn't intentional._

Chapter 12: Midnight Run

I silently crept through the silent hallways of the local museum in search of one of the usual paintings they had on display. According to Bentley, if I could swipe them without damage he could sell them to a friend of ours for some major cash. Moonlight was pouring in through the windows on the second level and gave me just enough light to both see clearly and stay in the shadows. Midnight runs were always my favorite; sneaking around at night in the shadows, completely alone and everything was completely silent. Unless I happened to run into a headstrong rival that refused to let me leave until she managed to steal something from both me and the location we were in. Even though she hadn't heard from the Phantom for over a month now, she was still in a thieving slump and hadn't stolen anything in months. The only good side to her still being in a slump was that I might be able to steal something without having to protect it from both Ramona and the police.

I peered around the corner and surveyed my surroundings for any signs of security guards. Bentley had disabled the security cameras before I came into the building but there was still the threat of security guards. The coast was clear and I made my way into the painting room. It was filled with any possible type of painting you could think of; sketch, oil, acrylic paint, pastels, charcoal, watercolor, and just about anything else. They were hung on the wall in a simple manner and each painting was illuminated with a simple light and a plaque rested close to it. I scanned the room and eventually found the painting I had my eyes set on. It was rather large and I'd have the van pulled up to the back door to get it out of here but it could be pulled off. I gently yet forcefully lifted the painting up and off the wall and gently placed it on the floor. I got ready to pull a calling card out of my bag when I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard someone behind me.

"Cooper!" I turned on my heels, my cane clutched firmly in my grasp, but quickly dropped it when I realized it wasn't a threat but simply Ramona laughing to herself. I let out a sigh of relief and took a step away from the painting.

"Well, it's pleasing to say it's nice to see you on this fine night, Ms. Bandicoot." She raised an eyebrow at my comment and rolled her eyes, "So what brings you to the museum so late after hours?"

"I could ask you the same question, couldn't I? But, if you must know, I haven't stolen anything in a few months and I'm itching for some action!" I took a few steps forward and leaned on my cane before giving her a toothy smile.

"It looks like someone's back in her groove," She nodded and I realized she had nothing in her possessions that she had stolen. I was starting to get suspicious of her actions and there were numerous things that she could be planning, "So what are you stealing, exactly?" I raised an eyebrow and she shrugged nonchalantly.

"I don't know, anything of interest I guess," I stood up from my cane as she continued, "And yourself?" I turned to motion at the painting I had lifted from the wall and almost had my eyes pop out of my head when I saw that it was no longer there. I stood there bewildered for a moment until I felt something brush against my pouch and the smell of her perfume was strangely close to me. I turned just in time to see her paw reach out of my leg pouch with the gemstone I had swiped earlier clutched in it. She took off running towards the exit after shoving the gem in her own bag.

"Found something!" she shouted playfully as I started chasing after her to get the gem and painting back, even if I had no idea where it was.

"Sitka!" I heard her shout as I pursued her throughout the museum, "get the painting to the car, I'll meet you there later!" then it clicked, she distracted me while her siblings stole the painting from behind me. I did have to admit, she was sneaky even if it meant loosing an item I had intended to keep it.

"Ramona!" I shouted behind her and I heard her bark out a laugh and start running even faster, "You little sneak!" she looked back briefly and gave a smirk and a wink and I laughed to myself. I watched as she rounded a corner a good distance ahead of me only to have her run right back around it and she started waving her arms.

"Go back, go back, go back!" she shouted quietly as she zoomed past me and yanked my shirt in the process. It hadn't click in my mine why she had turned around until I heard the familiar sound of a stray shock pistol crash against a wall and the screech feared by all thieves.

"Freeze!" Carmelita's voice rang out loudly while I followed Ramona through the museum. More and more stray bullets dissolved dangerously close to our heads as we ran but I missed the thrill of running away from the police. I hadn't been able to steal anything until my wound healed and it had finally healed a few weeks ago. Ramona had just gotten out of her slump and I could assume she felt the same.

"Got any plans?" I shouted over the blasts of the shock pistol bullets. My escape route was behind Carmelita and there was no way I could avoid all of Carmelita's bullets.

"I have my escape route," she shouted back, "How well so you handle whiplash?" I was slightly confused at her comment and I had no idea what she had in mind. I watched as the jumped slightly and partly climbed a rope handing down from the skylight.

"Hang on!" she called down and I gripped the rope loosely and still tried to sort out what she meant.

"Why do I need to-" I was cut off when she took something from her pocket, threw it at the ceiling and the rope zipped up quickly. I instantly grabbed on tighter and let myself zip towards the skylight. She always had numerous ways to escape from a situation but this had to be the strangest one I've seen in a while. She swung her legs over the edge of the skylight when she reached the top and I did the same. Police sirens could be heard and Carmelita's shouting was still audible. She threw the rope to the museum floor before taking off away from the sounds of police sirens. I followed her and let the cool night air rush through my fur. I followed her briskly and briefly wondered how she'd get to the next building when the only thing connecting that one and the museum was a rope that held banners for a new exhibit in the museum. It was too far of a gap to jump for anyone to make. My thoughts were answered when she quickly hunched over and lightly bounded along the rope on all fours. She glance back to me and called me over quickly after she was safe on the other side. I ran across the rope in my usual way and we both took off running one more after I was on the other building. Her physical abilities were similar to mine yet a world apart. We both had the same intentions when it came to running away but how each move was carried out separated us physically. A blast of blue electricity whizzed past my head and barely over Ramona's as we ran. Carmelita was hot on our tails and the police were closing in quickly. We reached the other side of the building and Carmelita was a few feet behind us. I threw a smoke bomb in her direction to but us a little space and a second later she was coughing uncontrollably.

I felt Ramona grab the front of my shirt and pull me towards the edge of the building. She slid down the front briefly before leaping to the side of the other one and repeated the action until her feet landed on the ground. I leapt over the edge myself and used my paraglider to get me down safely. We both took off down the alley and away from the police. We had run halfway across town before ducking into an empty alley for cover so we could catch out breath. We both huffed out our breath and gave each other quick smiles after making eye contact. She brushed the hair from her face and leaned her head against my shoulder.

"You know," she said eventually, "I've missed the thrill of a heist gone wrong. I really have." I nodded in response.

"If the Phantom would leave you alone you'd have it more often." She rolled her eyes and gave a snort.

"I swear if I hear 'you belong to me' or 'your heart belongs to me' one more time I'll slap the distortion off his face." I snorted.

"You or your heart doesn't belong to anyone, does it?" I playfully nudged her with my elbow.

"I wouldn't say that," she said slowly, "Someone already owns my heart." Her statement came to a surprise to me and a looked over to her.

"Really?" I questioned, "and who would that be?" she glanced up to me a playful smile came across her lips.

"Think about it." she said simply before standing on her toes and gave me a quick peck on the lips and winking. She made her way to the edge of the building and looked around before darting off towards her apartment. Knowing her mindset, I wasn't completely sure she meant me but for the moment I would assume that she meant me. I started to head for the edge of the building to go home when I realized Ramona had made off with both the painting and gem anyway. I looked in her direction and could see the end of her tail dart around another building before disappearing into the shadows.


End file.
